The Stream Before Christmas
by In a Golden Reflection
Summary: As is monthly tradition, Mark was hosting a Markiplier Charity Stream for December. Scheduling it had been difficult, as things kept getting in the way and pushing the stream toward the middle of the month. Because of this, he and Tyler were currently streaming at 9:42 on Christmas Eve. (Mark/Tyler) (Tyler/Mark) apocalyptiplier ONESHOT


_**The day Apocalyptiplier becomes popular is the day I weep tears of joy. Anyway, it's December, which means I'm compelled to write my obligatory Holiday fanfic. This time it's Markiplier/Tyler Scheid.**_

 _ **I really, really like the dynamics between them in their videos..enough to dive into this rare-pair instead of the more popular (and greener) ship with Mark. I've actually been writing this since November 29th and my first time reading the entire thing out loud, I screamed the last line because I'm so proud of how I finished it!**_

 _ **Whatever! Enjoy! And Merry Christmas!**_

 _ **~Goldie**_

 _ **(EDIT: YOU GUYS THEY'RE ACTUALLY GONNA BE DOING A CHRISTMAS STREAM ON DEC 23, AND THE CHARITY IS TOYS FOR TOTS! LIKE HOLY SHIT DID I CALL IT OR WHAT)**_

"So, the point of this game is...?"  
Mark looked away from the large screen displaying Christmas Shopping Simulator, and gave Tyler an exaggerated face of disbelief.  
"I can't believe you'd ask such a thing!" He gaped, "Christmas Shopping Simulator is a refined and elegant game where you play as a person trying to get the best gifts for your loved ones while evading the wrath of other shoppers. It seemed appropriate for the stream."

Mark then flourished a hand in the air while staring at the camera in front of the pair, "It isn't a game, it's a work of art."  
Tyler leaned back against the couch, arms stretched behind the backboard.  
"You're buying your Uncle Steve a GIMP mask for his cat."

"What? Nuh-uh, no I'm not." Mark denies, steering his character into Pet Provocateur and grabbing a small leather mask off the main table.  
"Besides, what Uncle Steve's cat does behind closed doors is none of your business."

The curly-haired man shook his head, turning to the laptop on his left to check how the fundraising was going.

As is monthly tradition, Mark was hosting a Markiplier Charity Stream for December. Scheduling it had been difficult, as things kept getting in the way and pushing the stream toward the middle of the month. Because of this, he and Tyler were currently streaming at 9:42 on Christmas Eve. You would think that the audience would be smaller due to the holiday, but the chat was as fast and unreadable as ever. Tyler scanned the donation count on the small screen next to him. 13 hours in, and people have given $58,349 (and counting) toward the final goal of $80,000.

Mark glanced at Tyler for a second, and then back to the game, "So what are the donations at?"  
"Uh, they are at..." he refreshed the page, "$59,185."  
"Almost 60,000! We're close to the next landmark."

Tyler nodded.

"I'll grab the waxing strips." He stood from the couch, stretching, and he walked into the next room as Mark began to speak to the camera.

A charity livestream on Christmas Eve sounds like a fun holiday themed event, but a lot of people have plans for the week of Christmas.  
People like Ethan, Katherine, and Amy.  
Ethan, for one, has family out of state he's visiting-like a responsible son. Katherine didn't have plans, but she caught a bug that has kept her home for a week. Amy had a huge graphic design project she'd been working on, which she finished earlier this day; but she was so tired afterward she locked herself in her house and told everyone she was going to sleep for a month.  
So that left Mark -who scheduled the livestream- and Tyler -who didn't really have plans other than watching Christmas specials on TV and maybe going to bed early.  
The brunet fished through the small kitchen's drawers, grabbing the waxing strips from the previous livestream they did- as well as a candy cane from the counter- and walked back to the other room. Mark had paused the Christmas Shopping Simulator, watching Tyler approach the couch with a smile, "And here come the waxing strips!"  
Mark was given the pack of strips. He pulled one out when Tyler sat back down, running it between his hands to heat it up.  
"So, while I'm warming this, Tyler, why don't you tell the audience about this month's charity?"  
Tyler (while in the process of opening his candy cane) looked towards the camera, trying to remember what he said the last few times he talked about the charity.

"Okay. Toys for Tots is a charity that collect new toys during October, November and December each year, and gives those toys as Christmas gifts to children in need. Usually, toys would be the donation; but since this is more of a large scale fundraiser, we're donating money to Toys for Tots."  
Mark nodded, still holding the wax strip between his hands, "There are lots of families in the U.S. that are going through tough times, or that are less fortunate and struggling in life. And to go through that in the holiday season is even worse. This charity provides gifts for kids when their parents are unable to get them something, because they need to put this month's paycheck toward paying rent or buying food..."

It was amazing, Tyler thought, how much sincerity Mark spoke with about these charities and their causes.  
"...and you can donate for other celebrations, as well. Right, Tyler?"  
Tyler blinked, noticing Mark smiling at him, and snapped out of his thoughts.  
"O-oh yeah." He turned back to the camera, "Toys for Tots has two other programs: one for dedicating donations to lost loved ones, and one for making donations in someone's name as a gift. The Toys for Tots website has a lot more details about everything that they do."

"Well said. Now," the youtuber spoke to the camera, "back to business!"  
Tyler looked back to Mark, eyeing the wax strips in his hands.

"You guys have donated more than $60,000, which means we've reached another landmark! Tyler-" Mark gestured toward his friend, who gave a short wave, "-will get his belly waxed! Again! And, just like before, I'm going to be the one applying it to him and tearing it off."  
Tyler groaned loudly, playfully glaring at Mark. "Why did you have to say _TEAR_?! If that's how it's gonna go down, just go all out and say you're going to SKIN ME."  
Familiar laughter bellowed from Mark, folding in on himself where he sat. Tyler chuckled along as Mark sat up and wiped tears from his eyes.  
"Alright, alright!" He took a breath and smiled, composing himself. "Let's get this skinning started."  
Again, Tyler groaned, and Mark had to stifle his resurging laughter and widening smile. The shorter of the two looked at the camera, rubbing the wax strip a couple more times.  
"Thanks again guys for donating $60,000!"

He fully turned to Tyler, who had pulled his shirt up so his stomach was exposed for the wax treatment. Mark saw the candy cane Tyler grabbed earlier was now unwrapped, the hook in his hand and the end in his mouth while he waited for wax to meet flesh.

The brunet was facing the camera in a nonchalant manner, sure, but the way he was licking the sugar stick seemed anything but. Mark swallowed and dropped his gaze to Tyler's stomach, muttering "Looks like some hair grew back from last time," and pulled the strip apart, keeping the side with wax in his grip. He slowly set it vertically over the light trail of hair that traveled down Tyler's stomach.

Smoothing the wax down onto him, Mark looked to the camera. "Are we getting a good view of this? You guys seeing it okay?"  
While Mark rubbed the strip to smooth it out further, Tyler read over the chat. "Everyone's saying it's fine..." Even though the strip was probably as glued to his stomach as it ever would be, the redhead kept on rubbing it- almost in a hesitant way, fingers occasionally ghosting over the skin bordering the wax strip. Tyler glanced over at Mark (who was concentrating on the waxing strip a bit too intensely) and then back to the chat.  
He almost laughed when he saw a comment fly by that read "SEPTIPLIER IS DEAD". A few more people spammed the same thing, but it was soon drowned out by the usual crud that is seen frequently in the YouTube chat. Tyler licked at his candy cane again, realizing that Mark was still smoothing the strip down!  
"Mark," the waxee snickered, "I think the wax is fine." Tyler looked down to Mark, still hovering over his stomach. The youtuber's eyes met Tyler's. From the camera's point of view, all that could be seen was the curly-haired man's expression- as stone-faced as ever- and Mark's backside as he was bent above Tyler's abdomen.

The camera was unable to capture the questioning look in Tyler's eyes, as well as the emotion that danced through Mark's.  
"...just wanted to make sure it was smooth." Mark murmured, breaking eye contact with the other. Tyler almost snapped the candy cane in his hand with how wired his nerves were.

Mark quickly sat up from his previous position and faced the camera again with a large, cheesy smile suddenly plastered on his face. "Gotta make sure the wax sticks on _niiiiice_ and gooey-like!" He laughed, almost forced.  
Tyler nodded and casually threw one arm on top of a pillow to his left, worrying the candy cane between his lips.  
"Alright, I'm going to rip it off. Everyone ready?"

His voice asked the audience, but his eyes asked Tyler. With a curt nod, Tyler looked down to the wax paper; Mark had grabbed a corner and was adjusting his grip. The taller held his breath while Mark counted aloud.  
"3..2..1..!"

The wax forcibly ripped the hair from Tyler's abdomen, a sound similar to tearing paper filling the room.

The waxee exhaled slowly. His pain tolerance may be high, but that doesn't guarantee a painless wax. Blinking, he saw his belly was smooth. Since the patch had completely covered what was visible of his happy trail, his stomach was now void of any coarse hairs from before. Mark held up the wax strip- now embedded with curly dark hairs- to the camera, "Holy shit that got a lot!"  
"Dude, now my belly is super smooth." Tyler was in the process of petting the patch of bare skin. The youtuber laid the hairy strip on the table in front of him, moving his hand to feel the vulnerable and smooth flesh.  
His eyes widened when his fingertips ghosted across Tyler's abdomen. Tremors ran through Tyler's body.  
"Oh my God it's as soft as a baby's butt." Mark said.

He cleared his throat, removing his hand. "Tyler, show that to the stream! It's smooth enough for light to reflect off of it, for Pete's sake. They need to see it!"  
The brunet stood up from the tan couch and walked to the camera, holding his shirt up all the while. He inched his torso towards the lens, letting it focus on his belly and showing the world how insanely-bare it became. Mark shifted to the smaller laptop to watch the chat.  
"The chat's eating it up!"  
Tyler hid a small smirk, sucking on the candy between his lips while he turned for the chat to get a better view; he snuck a peek over at the youtuber.

Mark's eyes scanned through the comments, "They are really into it! _'Hashtag Smooth Tum Tyler'_ is everywhere."  
Feeling his stomach one last time, Tyler dropped his shirt and grabbed the wax strip from the table.  
"Man, look at all this." He smiled, waving it in front of the camera. "All that hair, FORCIBLY _RIPPED_ from my body!"  
Mark began to laugh again.  
"I'm gonna go trash this real quick." Tyler trapped the candy cane between his teeth and walked to the garbage can in the corner of the room to dispose of the hair-covered paper.  
When he finally sat back down next to Mark, the curly-haired man sighed. "Well that was fun. What's next?"  
"I'll set up co-op on Viscera Cleanup Detail: Santa's Rampage. What's the donation count?"  
Switching tabs on the laptop, Tyler refreshed the donation page.  
"Current total is... $64,977."  
"Wow! That's fantastic! Thank you to everyone who donated for this stream!"  
"Thanks guys."

Smiling at the camera, Tyler slouched into the couch, nibbling on his candy cane some more. He watched Mark as the game was loading, studying him in the most covert way possible-well, as covert as you can act when a camera is pointed directly at you.  
And when Mark turned back to him, Tyler searched his face.  
"...uh, so..." Mark began, but ended up trailing off. The taller was looking at him with a stoic expression; almost reading him, like his innermost thoughts were an open book. Those pale green eyes of his the only way to see what was going on behind that mask.  
But right now, all Mark could see was the light reflecting off of them. Those bright eyes shifted from his dark ones.  
"So, what?" Tyler spoke, casual and soft. He combed a hand through his curly hair.  
"...oh! Uh, right...so have you ever played Viscera Cleanup, Tyler?"  
He shrugged, a stone face with eyes that smiled. "Can't say that I have."  
Mark gave him a controller and a grin.  
"Then get ready to learn!"

"It's always a shame when the goal isn't met, but wow!" Mark exclaimed, "We were pretty darn close! $76,000!"  
Tyler nodded to the camera as Mark continued to speak.  
"Sadly, we must bring our December charity livestream to an end. It is currently-" He checked the laptop, "-11:18 here. And we'd like to head home _sometime_ soon!"

"Thank you guys again for donating so much to Toys for Tots," Tyler spoke, "It really means a lot to them."

"Thank you guys for such a fun Christmas Eve." Mark put on a sparkling smile as Tyler prepared to shut down the stream from the laptop.  
"And as always...we will see _you_ -" Mark pointed to the camera, "-in the next video. Buh bye! Oh, and Merry Christmas!"  
Him and Tyler waved happily to the audience until Tyler clicked something on the keyboard.

"Aaaaand we're off."  
Mark flopped back into the couch while Tyler stretched his arms above his head, both men groaning in unison.  
"Was that longer than the last stream?"  
Tyler shrugged tiredly, handing the laptop to Mark and starting to unplug the equipment.  
"Maybe."

"Sure felt longer." The youtuber yawned, tapping away on the keyboard to transfer the collected donation to the Toys for Tots' donation link on their website.

"But it was still fun."  
The other nodded, wrapping up the electronic connective cords before putting all the equipment in their respective cases.  
Mark shuffled over to help, "Man I'm tired. You?"  
Tyler handed him the bundles of cords to bind. "Yeah I'm beat, but probably not as much as you. You set it all up early this morning and went all out for the full 14 hours of the stream."  
Again, Mark yawned.

"Worth it."

Smiling, the brunet carefully hefted a case of equipment over his shoulder. He began to lug the packed cases into the supply room connected to the kitchen.  
"I'd say so, too."  
The youtuber followed after Tyler with the cables slung over his shoulder. Eventually, all the equipment was put away and the recording room was completely cleaned up. Mark turned off all the lights from the front, and locked the main door behind him and Tyler. He turned to see Tyler standing on the porch, gazing at the night sky.  
The redhead spoke, "Ready to go? It's been a long night."

He looked over at Mark- that smile in his eyes again- then to the ground.  
Fishing the car keys out of his pocket, Tyler began walking down the bush-lined path as Mark followed and chatted.  
"So you're driving, right? Because man, I don't think I'm up to it."  
Tyler rolled his eyes, "I always drive."  
"Okay, yeah you do. But that's because you're so good at it!" Mark drawled, "What with the turn signals and the traffic lights...besides, I always feel safer when you're behind the wheel."  
The taller looked to the smaller curiously.  
"Seriously?"  
Mark nodded his head softly.  
"Yeah, man. You always have such a level head when you drive. You're level-headed in general, really."  
"Thanks."  
Clicking the button on his car keys, Tyler unlocked their ride home and climbed in the driver's side. Mark hopped into the passenger's seat and the doors shut in unison.  
"Let's get this show on the road." He sighed. The redheaded man put on his seatbelt as Tyler turned the key.

Sharp, loud noises came from under the hood of the car, making Tyler tense. He's heard that kind of sound before.

"Uh oh."  
Mark turned to Tyler sluggishly, " _'Uh oh'_? What's _'uh oh'_?"  
The driver turned the key again, only for more ear-piercing metallic sounds to be produced.  
"Is the car tearing itself apart? Because that's sure what it sounds like."  
Once more, Tyler turned the key. The sound stopped, but the car didn't start. He shook his head. "Looks like the battery died."  
"That isn't too bad."  
"It isn't, but..." Tyler pocketed his keys again, "That means we're stuck here 'til someone can come by and give us a jump start."  
Mark undid his seatbelt.  
"You say 'stuck' like we have to stay in the car." He gestured with a hand to the building in front of the car. "We are _right_ next to the office; we can just stay in there. Probably for the rest of the night, since it _is_ Christmas Eve and everyone is doing their own holiday things."  
He was right. Because of the holiday, there wouldn't be any services open to help…and they wouldn't want to interrupt their friends' Christmas Eve.  
The two men got out of the dead car, and tiredly walked back to the studio- after Tyler quickly made sure to re-lock the car.

Mark opened the door and clicked a few of the lights back on, bright enough to see from the main room but dim enough to sleep through. They _did_ have to sleep, after all. Mark understood that neither of them were up to an all-nighter...especially the night before Christmas!  
Tyler shut the door and took his shoes off. "So, do you want the couch? You can take it if you want."

Mark took off his shoes as well, tossing them at the front door. "It's okay, you-"

He paused, thinking. Then Mark cleared his throat.  
"...It's okay. We, uh, we can share it." His breath almost caught in his throat when the words escaped his mouth.

Mark knew why he said what he did; he just couldn't believe he actually went through with it. What would Tyler do?  
As he was about to overanalyze the situation, Tyler interrupted and said, "Sure."  
That was it, the youtuber guessed.

They were going to share the couch.

Mark's mouth was dry, watching Tyler stretch his back and lay on the couch, adjusting the pillow behind his head. He pulled out his phone while Mark nervously began to have second thoughts.  
"You gonna stand there all night?" Tyler poked fun at him; but when he was met with silence, he took on a slightly serious tone, "It's late, you woke up early and worked your butt off. You need to get some rest, so get over here." He beckoned to the tired youtuber with a wave of his hand, still looking at his phone screen.

Mark finally gave in, crawling onto the couch and lying opposite of Tyler; Mark tucked his feet into the couch cushions- so he wouldn't accidentally touch Tyler's butt- but there was no way to stop their legs from intertwining.  
"..." Tyler put the phone down on his stomach, "You're gonna sink into the couch cushions at this rate."  
Mark turned to him, halfheartedly saying, "I'm tired enough to not care."  
"Good thing I'm not." Tyler shifted his body slightly downward, scooting closer to the inside of the couch. "Get over here."

The redhead didn't move, eying the other in a peculiar way. Tyler rolled his eyes, repeating "Get. Over. Here." He patted his chest to emphasize each word.

"If you don't, I'm going over to you."  
Mark's soft laughter seemed even fainter to his own ears, his pounding heartbeat drowning it out. The youtuber, seceding and carefully crawling over to Tyler, didn't know why his heart was beating so fast and loud. Laying down with a friend for platonic cuddling was a normal thing that people did.  
Wait, he was getting ahead of himself. Who said there was going to be any cuddling?

His thoughts stopped once he laid back down and found he was at eye level with Tyler. "There," the redhead pretended to huff, "You happy?"  
The curly-haired man chuckled. "Sure."  
Mark felt like he was going to fall off the couch if he didn't change position. Nervously, he laid his head on top of Tyler's chest and scooted in further from the edge. "Sorry, I just don't want to fall off the couch."  
Tyler hummed, wrapping an arm around Mark and pulling him close, "No worries, I won't let you fall."

Any other day, Mark would have commented on how cheesy that line sounded; for now he was going to enjoy it while he could. It isn't that Tyler doesn't show his soft side often, but that it was almost never directed towards _him_.

When it was, though...oh, when it was, Mark would melt inside.

He loved seeing Tyler being such a gentle giant. It's always a shame to move on from each act of affection—Mark felt cold whenever he'd do that.

Mark puffed his cheeks out when a hand rested on his head, silently asking permission.  
"Fine, you walking furnace."  
Tyler snickered, "I'll take that as a compliment." His hand began to softly comb through Mark's hair.  
Tyler was very surprised he was able to act sweet towards Mark for this long- it's been, what, 5 consecutive minutes?- and he hasn't been interrupted by anything or shrugged off. This had to be a new record time.

Tyler sighed, thinking about how he has always liked doting on Mark. The brunet adjusted his hold on sleepy Mark, who snuggled closer. Mark doesn't get close to him like this often.

When he did, though...oh, when he did, Tyler would melt inside.

He enjoyed seeing the youtuber being so domestic, and just happy. And whenever the session was over, Tyler felt as if there was a part of himself missing.

He picked his phone up, opening twitter and typing out a new tweet.

 _'Treasure little moment of_

 _happiness you find in life._

 _Help someone find a little_

 _happiness if they need it._

 _Merry Christmas_  
 _#SmileAlways'_

He submitted it with a yawn, looking at the time. 12:04.  
Tyler tossed his phone to the floor as softly as he could.  
"Merry Christmas, Mark." He muttered, continuing to pet the other's hair. Mark spoke into Tyler's shirt, muffled. Tyler laughed quietly, his chest rumbling.  
"Can't understand you, Mark."  
The shorter lifted his head from where it was resting. Mark put his chin on Tyler's torso, looking up at him. "I said Merry Christmas to you, too. And that you'll have to wait a little bit for your present, because it's over at my house."

"Aw you didn't need to get me a gift," Tyler smirked, ruffling the redhead's hair, "The only gift I need is you."

It took a second for the comment to sink in for the both of them. Mark hid his face in Tyler's shirt again; Tyler turned his head to the right, avoiding looking at the other.

Tyler couldn't believe he said that, oh man maybe he crossed a line, why did he say that? At the rate this is going he should just tell Mark everything, how he's fallen for him and how much he likes to hold him. Tyler inwardly cursed himself.  
Mark, on the other hand, swooned. That was one of the cheesiest things Tyler's ever said, but man if it didn't make Mark's heart pound and face flush. God, his red face probably gave everything away. He may as well up and tell Tyler how much he adores him and wants to kiss him. But instead, his mind quickly turns down another route.

"Are you just saying that 'cause you couldn't find me a gift?"

Inside, Tyler breathed a sigh of relief that he wasn't caught. But then he paled.

"Did Ethan tell you? Damn it, he told you, didn't he? I asked him what to get you, but neither of us had any ideas!"

The curly-haired man lolled his head back onto the couch arm behind him, groaning, "Seriously, what do you get the man who has not only _EVERYTHING_ but also a shitton of money to buy whatever he wants?!"  
This caused Mark to chuckle. He can definitely see where Tyler was coming from-

-and then the youtuber had a thought.

A very risky thought, one that could turn out to be one of the best thoughts he's ever had. Considering all the facts, Mark wondered if he should go through with it despite the warnings going off in his head.  
He was never really one to think before he acted.

"Well," Mark quietly said, lifting his head to look at Tyler, "There is one thing that I don't have..."

Tyler's head whipped to look at Mark, green eyes sparkling with determination.  
"Name it, and I will get for you."

Mark's breath was taken away by the sheer devotion he heard in Tyler's voice.

 _'Alright, this is it...'_

His brown eyes shifted to the side, but he swallowed and forced himself to meet Tyler's gaze.

"Y-you."

Blinking, Tyler stared at the youtuber in his arms.

"It's you. For Christmas, I... I want you. Like...I really like you. And I want you to be with me. I want you for Christmas."

Time seemed to stop around them. The two men looked into each other's eyes for what could have been an eternity. They breathed in sync, hearts beating and minds blank.  
Finally, Mark saw a smile bloom on Tyler's lips.  
"You goof," he sighed.  
"You already have me."  
The youtuber took a sharp breath, "Like, I _have_ -have you?"  
Tyler nodded, curls slightly bouncing.  
"So I, uh...we can cuddle more?"  
Again, Tyler nodded.  
"And we can...we can kiss?"

Tyler chimed with laughter. This entire thing felt surreal to him; one second he and Mark were talking Christmas gifts, and the next he was agreeing to date the other. How long had he loved the redhead? In all that time, he never expected things to turn out so well. So fantastically well.  
"Yes, we can, Mark. But we should probably get to bed. We can talk about everything tomorrow, okay?" Tyler kissed the top of Mark's head, pulling him near.

Did Mark just giggle?  
"Alright, tomorrow. But we've got a lot of talking to do."  
Mark maneuvered himself as close to Tyler as he could, legs comfortably entangled, head resting on the brunet's shoulder. Tyler wrapped an arm around Mark's waist, tucking the other arm behind his own pillow.

"We'll talk as much as you want in the morning." Tyler yawned, nodding off.  
"Mmkay..." Mark mumbled, sleepily nestling his head closer to Tyler.

"...Tyler?"  
"Mm?"

Mark gave his cheek a chaste peck, "Love you."  
Tyler quietly chuckled.  
"Love you too, Mark."  
Those words felt normal on their tongues; as if they have been waiting so long to be used. The two men fell asleep encircled in each other's arms, a feeling of bliss settling in their hearts. And the morning would signal another day.

One they would begin closer than they've ever been before.


End file.
